15
Clarity as the Logic of Language
Lecture no. 15 from the course: Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths of Language Usage
Loading the player...
Taught by Professor John McWhorter | 30 min
Investigate the illogicality of English by looking at everything from the use of the definite article, the, which is difficult to teach to nonnative speakers, to the blatantly ungrammatical “aren't I,” which is the contraction for “are not I” and is preferred over the more logical “ain't I.”...
24 Lectures
1
Alarm over the Decay of English
0
of 31 min
2
Surprises in the Ancestry of Old English
0
of 30 min
3
Not Exactly Anglo-Saxon
0
of 30 min
4
Don't Forget the Celtic Connection
0
of 30 min
5
From Insider Language to Lingua Franca
0
of 30 min
6
English as Easy German
0
of 28 min
7
The Viking Conquest of English
0
of 27 min
8
How the Words of Modern English Emerged
0
of 31 min
9
Black English-The Streamlining Continues
0
of 29 min
10
Honored Conceits of Blackboard Grammar
0
of 31 min
11
Pronoun Fashions Come and Go
0
of 30 min
12
Wrong Then, Proper Now-and Vice Versa
0
of 29 min
13
A Procession of Accidents and Fossils
0
of 30 min
14
The Pursuit of Logic in Language
0
of 29 min
15
Clarity as the Logic of Language
0
of 30 min
16
20th-Century Fashions from Strunk & White
0
of 31 min
17
The Kinds of Grammar You Don't Hear About
0
of 30 min
18
Linguists Uncovering Grammar We All Use
0
of 31 min
19
Speech versus Writing-Different Languages
0
of 32 min
20
Speechmaking-From Oratory to Plain Speaking
0
of 33 min
21
The Old and New Styles of Writing
0
of 32 min
22
Got Poetry? Language with Spice
0
of 34 min
23
Why Texting Is Misunderstood
0
of 30 min
24
The Living Past and Future of English
0
of 34 min
